Artists in schools program
The SALA Artists in Schools Program, presented in partnership with Credit Union SA, aimed to place practicing South Australian visual artists in schools across the State.
From 2020-2022, this program has paired artists working across diverse mediums with primary and secondary school students, giving students (and their teachers) a chance to learn practical skills, new concepts, and gain confidence in artmaking. For many students, the program has broaden their understanding of what art can be and how it can be presented. This proximity to practicing artists also shows young people what a career in the visual arts can look like.
The artwork resulting from this program was to be exhibited as part of SALA Festival, giving students yet another touchpoint to the South Australian visual arts community.
2022 Program
The 2022 Artists in Schools Program celebrated and supported the following pairings:
Joel Plevin – Carlton School
Gus Clutterbuck – John Pirie Secondary School
Tony Kearney – Keller Road Primary School
Gemma Rose Brook – Roma Mitchell Secondary School
John Pirie Secondary School & Gus Clutterbuck
Ceramic artist Gus Clutterbuck made his way to Port Pirie and worked with the students at John Pirie Secondary School over 2 days, sharing skills in working with clay, and the way that he uses these skills in his own practice. Gus had a solo exhibition on the horizon at the time, so we are grateful that he managed to fit this in and hope that the students also appreciated being proximal to this real-world application of ceramic skills and artmaking.
Keller Road Primary & Tony Kearney
The students at Keller Road Primary School were shown how to use photo-sensitive paper with natural materials. Using leaves from the schoolyard, and various vegetables, they experimented with putting the paper under glass, putting the paper in-situ, and hand-colouring their work after it had been ‘chemically fixed’. Students remarked about how funny it looks to put a bunch of pieces of paper throughout the school garden when you don’t know what they’re for, which made the results more endearing! Students also learned about getting clearer imprints by getting the plant matter as close as possible to the paper (especially on an overcast day!).
Frequently Asked Questions
by submitting an application form before midnight, Sunday 27 March 2022.
All South Australian school are welcome to apply for this opportunity for their students in primary and secondary year levels.
Consideration will be given to a school’s standing in the Index of Educational Disadvantage and preference will be given to schools that have not participated in SALA Festival before.
We hope that artists will work with schools any time from Term 2 up until the SALA Festival starts (1 August).
In the application form, schools have the option to provide the names of 3 South Australian artists they’d like to be paired with for this program. This may be left blank with SALA Festival able to suggest potential artists to approach. SALA will approach the artist/s.
Schools aren’t required to outline a specific project in their application but are encouraged to identify what they hope their students will gain from taking part in this program, and any particular areas of interest (eg, ceramics, portraiture, installation art, digital art).
The finer details of the project can be determined once a visual artist has been approached and is able to liaise with the school.
Schools participating in the Artists in Schools program are required to register an exhibition of student work in the SALA Festival of the same year. Registration of student exhibitions is free in 2022 thanks to our Education Partner, Credit Union SA.
It is intended that the program will yield artwork that can be exhibited. The artwork will need to be viewable by the public at least once during August in order to be registered in SALA Festival. This can be on-campus, off-campus, or online.
The school will need to complete and submit a registration form via the SALA Online Portal by Wednesday 11 May 2022.
For more information see the SALA School Participation Guide.
Please note: schools that participate in the Artists in Schools Program are not eligible for a Credit Union SA Schools Award in the same year (as part of the SALA Awards).
Please see the Artists in Schools Terms & Conditions.
In summary, the school is expected to:
- safely host the artist
- register and execute a 2022 SALA exhibition of student artwork. Registration is free thanks to Credit Union SA. Please note that this exhibition will be the school’s responsibility, not that of the visiting artist.
- ensure that good quality images of the program are captured along with any necessary consent forms. SALA Festival can recommend and contribute a set amount towards the hire of a photographer for this purpose.
- Provide feedback on the program
Podcast episode
In December 2020, Steph caught up with artist Louise Flaherty and educator Jane Mant to talk about their experience of the Artists in Schools Program, presented by SALA Festival in partnership with Credit Union SA. Louise worked with Jane’s students in the wake of the December 2019 Adelaide Hills bushfires, connecting the students to their local landscapes through drawing.
- Louise Flaherty – website
- Fabrik
- 2020 Schools Artist in Residence Program
- Credit Union SA
- Bushland Park
- Friends of Lobethal Bushland Park – Flora species of conservation significance
- Visualcom
- Solastalgia exhibition
Music: ‘Nothing will grow here’ by Komiku via freemusicarchive.com
